Vaiko seeks criminal prosecution of Lankan envoy

Chennai: MDMK chief Vaiko today sought criminal prosecution of a Sri Lankan envoy under sedition charges for allegedly trying to instigate north Indians against the people of Tamil Nadu.

Sri Lankan High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam has blatantly violated "diplomatic immunity" by reportedly sending email to media houses recently in which he claimed Sinhalese have their origin in Odisha and West Bengal, he said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"The abominable statement was made by Kariyawasam on March 19, 2013 and was forwarded from his email through Colombo Media Centre to all visual and print media in India. In that vicious statement, he has tried to instigate the people of North India, Odisha, and Bengal that Sinhalese in that Island have their origins in those states," he said.

He has referred Mahavamsa, a chronicle, but most of its narratives consist of "concocted unbelievable stories", Vaiko claimed.

"The High Commissioner had stated that 75 per cent of the Sinhala race originated from Kalinga, that is Odisha and only 12 per cent of Tamil Population in Sri Lanka share ethnic links with Tamil Nadu."

"The High Commissioner of Sri Lanka has blatantly violated the Diplomatic Immunity, crossed his legal limits and circulated the most atrocious narrative to pour venom, poison in the minds of the people of India in the Northern states making a mention of linkage of Sinhala Language with Sanskrit and Hindi," he said.

Kariyawasam has allegedly attempted to instigate the people of Northern India against not only Eelam Tamils but also the people of Tamil Nadu, Vaiko charged.
"Therefore, the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka should be prosecuted under Section 124A of IPC (sedition)," he said asking Singh to take appropriate action against the envoy.
The Indian Government should launch criminal prosecution against Kariyawasam by immediately arresting him, Vaiko demanded.